Introducing Black Girl in The CLE

As part of our mission at She In The CLE, we want to partner with other organizations that raise the visibility and voices of women in our community.

We’re excited to introduce you to one of our newest partners – Black Girl in The CLE, founded by Shana Black. We’re looking forward to helping share their stories and perspective moving forward. Read below to learn more about them!

Black Girl in The CLE is a local blog that strives to showcase Cleveland from a Sisterly Perspective. But what does that mean, and why BLACK girl? Can other people read it? Is it divisive? Let me explain.

First of all, it’s who I am…Shana Black… a girl – well, woman – from Cleveland, Ohio and the creator of this blog. Cleveland and its suburbs have always been home to me. Whether it’s hanging out in the Lee Harvard area, going to school in Bedford and Shaker Heights or working in Parma Heights and in the Glenville neighborhood – I am a hometown girl, and I love showing off my city.

However, the journey of being Black Girl in The CLE has not always been easy. My team and I have been told it’s discriminatory towards brown people. People have said that they won’t click our links or go to our site because “they’re not Black.” Even Facebook and Instagram won’t approve our ads because of our signature “Black Girl…” leads and the name of our account (@blackgirlincle).

“So, why Black Girl?” “Why not just change your name?” Well, again … because that’s who WE are…Black Girls of Cleveland and we exist to show that Black Girls in Cleveland go EVERYWHERE. But as we go everywhere, we often have a different perspective on the places we go.

We often wonder if we’ll be one of the few minorities in the venue, and on occasion, have been the ONLY Black people at an event. And unfortunately, we still have to wonder if it’s SAFE for us to go to some neighborhoods based on events from Cleveland’s history.

So this is why we exist. This is why we will remain Black Girl in The CLE. This is why we say we are “Showcasing Cleveland From a Sisterly (sometimes Sista-ly) Perspective” and this is how we Cleveland (yes, we just made Cleveland a verb)!

Finally, we believe that #BlackGirlMagic is real, so why try to downplay or hide it???

Editor’s Note: If you’re interested in learning more about Black Girl in The CLE, visit their website and engage with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

She In The CLE

Our Mission
The mission of She In The CLE is to raise the visibility and voices of women through purposeful conversations.

Who We Are
She In The CLE is a blogger collective that helps raise the visibility and voices of women in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio by creating a platform that allows women to tell their stories, network and engage in purposeful conversation. Through our website, social media channels, newsletter and events, we help amplify the voices of women in our community.

Love Black Girl Cle! As a black girl myself who loves to be apart of the Cleveland culture, I know very well that there are still places that people don’t expect to find me or even want me there. Love seeing these ladies speaking about about what its like to be a Black Girl in CLE!

White Jewish girl here who reads Black Girl in the CLE! I’m always glad to see & support any sites or orgs raising up women’s voices, especially the voices of marginalized women.

By the way, I work for a Jewish org, & our FB & IG ads are often declined, too, because we’re “targeting Jews.” Have you tried appealing their decisions? There’s a space to, like, write in why you oppose their decision, & in my experience, they usually change their minds if you explain, like, “We’re a site specifically geared toward raising up ___ people.” They have their rules in places making sure you can’t target people by race, religion, etc., in a BAD way, but if you explain that you’re doing it because you’re a part of that communtiy speaking to & with that community, they tend to overrule their initial decisions & let you run your ads. Good luck!

I ❤️ this city and how it’s transforming. I’ve lived in other places but there’s no place like home. It’s not perfect but there’s a soul here that’s unique. I’m honored to be part of Black Girl and contributing to the positive vibe, that collective voice in CLE.

This looks like an exciting partnership for She in the CLE and Black Girl in the CLE. I am excited to read the post and follow your journeys in Cleveland. As a Cleveland native and a black girl in the CLE I am looking forward to sharing in your perspectives and experiences as women in Cleveland. Congrats to She in the CLE and Black Girl in the CLE and let the journey begin!